12 replies to this topic

[Tyto Alba]

With the lingering drought conditions in California the local Redwood Trees have suffered.   These trees were in Orangevale at a strip mall.    Two of the three trees planted at this location did not make it and were removed.

 

I spoke to a professional landscape maintenance person and he told me the City of Roseville lost 60 trees due to the mandatory reduced watering.   He added to water Redwoods during the summer months with a soaker 10' out from the trunk.

 

The trees get yellow at the tips first and if not caught in time the tree will die fast.    Someone with property and many trees also told me Redwoods benefit with water on the branches.

 

 

 

These three are my Redwoods.   A neighbor pointed out to me in July I need to water them more and remove growth around bottom of tree.

[folsom500]

The Removing Live growth from the bottom of the tree is hokum...  Redwoods do need extra water in our area--  and should be regularly hydrated in non rain periods... I have 17 and was afraid I would loose some mid summer- but all seem to be doing OK for now...  

[Steve Heard]

I have 4 on my property, and shortly after moving in 15 years ago, I had the City Arborist check them out. He said that if it were up to him, it would be illegal to plant redwoods in Folsom. 

 

He said the climate is too hot and dry. They need to be near the coast or in the mountains, with more moisture in the air and more frequent rain. Apparently, about 15 to 20 years ago, people started buying them because they grow fast, not realizing how much water they'd take, nor how much space in your yard.

 

Now, with drought conditions, we're seeing that they really don't belong here. 

 

Oaks, on the other hand, thrive in here and some have lasted 150 years or more, surviving through many droughts. 

[folsom500]

I have 4 on my property, and shortly after moving in 15 years ago, I had the City Arborist check them out. He said that if it were up to him, it would be illegal to plant redwoods in Folsom. 

 

He said the climate is too hot and dry. They need to be near the coast or in the mountains, with more moisture in the air and more frequent rain. Apparently, about 15 to 20 years ago, people started buying them because they grow fast, not realizing how much water they'd take, nor how much space in your yard.

 

Now, with drought conditions, we're seeing that they really don't belong here. 

 

Oaks, on the other hand, thrive in here and some have lasted 150 years or more, surviving through many droughts. 

I did not plant ours- they came with the house now- nearly 20 years ago..   but since I am now their caretaker, it is up to me to make sure they have sufficient water...  You might say OAKs  are good and they are- It is too bad the Mitigated Oaks that the Developers planted are really ugly trees nothing like the majestic Native Oaks they took out...  Swamp Oaks and the other developer planted oaks have to be the ugliest of ALL trees- one variety holding its Brown Dead leaves through the winter only to make a mess in the spring and other that are very susceptible to honey dew infestations that make a gooy drippy mess underneath...

 

It will be a shame that hundreds of the majestic Native Valley Oaks will be slaughtered for the sake of SO50---

[Oso]

Any idea how much it would cost to have someone remove a large redwood from a backyard?

 

You may know that I don't like to remove trees, but my neighbor has two very large redwoods that are causing damage to our shared retaining wall.

These trees we think were also planted back 20 years or more ago and were not wisely placed.

 

A friend told me a year or so ago that it would be more than $10k per tree. I realize it depends on a lot such as access and size, but even so $10k sounds very high.

Anyone have an idea?

[apeman45]

A large redwood would require climbing for removal which adds to the cost.  It will be somewhere between $500 to $1000 per tree.  I love redwoods but they do not belong in our climate.  They are a coastal tree that normally get a lot of their water from fog that frequently engulfs the hills where they grow.

 

Folsom 500 - The aphid susceptible oaks are scarlet oaks and do well in our climate.  They can be treated with insecticidal soaps or neem oil but it's expensive to treat them multiple times.

 

The ones that hold their leaves are Pin Oaks.  They can be pretty at this time of the year but do indeed hold their leaves until new growth in the spring pushes off the old leaves.

 

The mitigated oaks are pretty pathetic.  We can all do our part to plant a native oak.  Blue, Valley and Interior Live oaks are our native varieties.

 

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is today!"

[ducky]

A large redwood would require climbing for removal which adds to the cost.  It will be somewhere between $500 to $1000 per tree.  I love redwoods but they do not belong in our climate.  They are a coastal tree that normally get a lot of their water from fog that frequently engulfs the hills where they grow.

 

Folsom 500 - The aphid susceptible oaks are scarlet oaks and do well in our climate.  They can be treated with insecticidal soaps or neem oil but it's expensive to treat them multiple times.

 

The ones that hold their leaves are Pin Oaks.  They can be pretty at this time of the year but do indeed hold their leaves until new growth in the spring pushes off the old leaves.

 

The mitigated oaks are pretty pathetic.  We can all do our part to plant a native oak.  Blue, Valley and Interior Live oaks are our native varieties.

 

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is today!"

Apeman, do you know how any of those native oaks - Blue, Valley, and Interior - hold up in poor drainage areas?

[apeman45]

I would not recommend a native oak in a poor drainage area or next to an irrigated area like turf grass.  A big killer of oaks, albeit it takes many years, is root rot which prosper in wet soil.  Once established our native oaks don't like summer irrigation but in our perpetual drought they have been in need of an occasional deep soaking away from the base of the tree.  Valley Oaks are the most tolerant of summer water but you may be better off with something like a chinese elm that can tolerate wet soils and are a handsome tree.  

[Steve Heard]

I would not recommend a native oak in a poor drainage area or next to an irrigated area like turf grass.  A big killer of oaks, albeit it takes many years, is root rot which prosper in wet soil.  Once established our native oaks don't like summer irrigation but in our perpetual drought they have been in need of an occasional deep soaking away from the base of the tree.  Valley Oaks are the most tolerant of summer water but you may be better off with something like a chinese elm that can tolerate wet soils and are a handsome tree.  

 

I don't know what kind of oaks I have, but I had 2 out in front of my home. The one on the down slope fell over in the middle of the night some years back. Roots were rotted out. City Arborist said it was because a) the developer paved over the roots, b) graded the dirt up to the trunk, and c) watering the lawn sent the runoff into the tree. 

 

By the way, I slept through it. My wife woke me up at about 4am because of the commotion outside, and we found city workers with floodlights and chainsaws cutting it up to get it out of the street.  My neighbors were all outside and had been watching for over an hour. 

 

When I came out, one of them said, 'You were sleeping? We thought you must have been on vacation! How could you sleep through that?!'

[ducky]

I would not recommend a native oak in a poor drainage area or next to an irrigated area like turf grass.  A big killer of oaks, albeit it takes many years, is root rot which prosper in wet soil.  Once established our native oaks don't like summer irrigation but in our perpetual drought they have been in need of an occasional deep soaking away from the base of the tree.  Valley Oaks are the most tolerant of summer water but you may be better off with something like a chinese elm that can tolerate wet soils and are a handsome tree.  

 

Thanks for the advice, apeman45.  That's what I kind of thought.  I don't think an oak is in the cards for me then. The drainage problem only happens in winter when we get large rains so it hasn't actually been a problem during the drought.  It's not from irrigation, but the way the area is graded.  I currently have a large Redwood that was obtained as a free seedling given away at the California State Fair.  They used to ask you to bring back photos of how your tree had progressed.  I guess they don't do that anymore.  It wasn't my first choice as a tree, but nothing else will survive in that area - not fruit trees or citrus.  Of course, fruitless Mulberry will, but I am extremely allergic to them and don't like the root problems they cause.  I'll have to look at Chinese Elms and see if I like them in case the local tree guy decides he can ban my tree from my back yard.

[apeman45]

If you ever are in El Dorado Hills the parking lot of Raleys and the old golf course parking lot are filled with mature chinese elms.  Pin Oaks actually do well in wet soil but they do hold their dead leaves all winter.  A few other species to look at are Tupelos, Liquid Amber (sweet gums) - they do drop annoying seed pods, magnolias and tulip trees (liriodendron).

 

If you want a fruit tree that can withstand wet soils check out the interesting persimmon tree.  They have great fall color.

[ducky]

If you ever are in El Dorado Hills the parking lot of Raleys and the old golf course parking lot are filled with mature chinese elms.  Pin Oaks actually do well in wet soil but they do hold their dead leaves all winter.  A few other species to look at are Tupelos, Liquid Amber (sweet gums) - they do drop annoying seed pods, magnolias and tulip trees (liriodendron).

 

If you want a fruit tree that can withstand wet soils check out the interesting persimmon tree.  They have great fall color.

 

I do like the Pin Oaks look in the fall, but those dead leaves all winter aren't attractive, nor is the sap problem when they are green. 

I like Magnolias, but they require a lot of water in the summer and are super messy.  My Redwood is messy as well but is well established and really doesn't need much watering in normal rain years until August/September.

I really like Liquid Amber, especially in the fall, and don't mind the seed pods so much as there are no walkways nearby.  I like River Birch, but, again, I assume they take a lot of water in the summer.  What I was really hoping for was something evergreen for year-round privacy.  It won't block sun on the house in the winter so I don't need a tree that drops leaves in the fall.  

 

Again, thanks for the tips.  Next time I'm in EDH I'll take a look at the Chinese Elms.  It's always better to see what a tree looks like that's established in our area than relying on what they look like in nurseries or photographs.

[apeman45]

A great fast growing evergreen that does great in our climate and tolerates poor drainage is the deodar cedar.  They get large fast so make sure it has plenty of room.  I love those trees and they are hardy.